What emotions does the word, organization, induce in you? Overwhelm? Stress? Anxiety? Guilt? Sometimes it is very easy to get “stress-paralyzed” and easily daunted when looking at the task at hand whether that is a cluttered drawer, a messy room, the ominous “storage room”, etc. And when this happens, it is very easy to have our organizational efforts cripple in their effectiveness and efficiency. I have helped many a person in the organization of their room/house/files/etc. by breaking the process down into simple and doable steps. So! 🙂 Breathe a breath of fresh air, leave those emotions at the door, and let’s do this! 🙂
My Organization Method:
(1) Top-Down, Left-Right. The first rule is to simply see the project at hand as a structure. For example, when I walk into a room that needs organization, I start with the leftmost wall top-down, and after I finish the organization of the left wall, then I start the back wall top-down. And then the right wall top-down. Etc. This brakes the daunting task at hand into smaller bite-size pieces. If I was helping someone organize the room below: 
Then I would start with the left wall that has the messy bed and papers strewn on the floor. Once I clean and organize that task, then I would focus on the back wall that has crooked pictures, scattered papers on the floor, etc. And lastly, I would clean and organize the right wall starting with the top of the wall (crooked messy looking art) and work myself down (desk, then clutter on the floor). One mistake that I often see is a person entering a room that needs organization and walking straight to the middle of the floor, plopping down and getting lost in the minutia on the floor. This is a good way to get overwhelmed and lose sight of the project as a whole. This applies to bookcases as well or garages or whatever. Left-Right, Top-Down. 🙂
(2) The Rule Of Prime Real Estate. Repeat after me, not everything has equal value or/and importance. 🙂 This is one of the harder ones for some people to grasp. Items that get used frequently go on shelves that are head/chest level and are easily accessible. This prevents future disorganization so that you aren’t in a rush, pushing aside 10 objects to get to the 1 you need leaving behind a mess. This goes into play with bookcases, pantries, drawers, shelves, etc. For example, in the below image, if I use the coconut shavings daily, then that jar goes to the front on a shelf that is chest level. I don’t need a ladder or step stool to get it. I don’t have to push 5 other jars aside to get it. Organization is more easily maintained in environments that facilitate ease of use.
(3) Labels Face Out/Clear Storage Bins. When able, the use of clear storage bins makes for a much more organized look. It also allows you to quickly look through the contents of a box without spilling everything out and thus prevents furture disorganization. Everything should be labeled with all labels facing out. Using typed labels instead of handwritten labels adds to the neatness of the look. 
(4) If Not Used in the Past Year, Give Away or Throw Out! This is by far the hardest one for people that I have come across. Personally I hate acuiring stuff and enjoy ridding my house of excess- I am very much a minimalist in this way. But for most people, there is sentiment attached to things or the age-old “I’ll use this someday”. There was an article written once that stated that if Americans ridded their house with half its contents, there would still be too much in every room. Here are some facinating statistics on American accumulation here. The BEST WAY to maintain an organized home is declutter, and the best way to declutter is to not accumulate. I start EVERY January with going through every drawer/closet/room in my house getting rid of things that we don’t need/use. The first year you do this, it can be very daunting. But surprisingly, every following year, it gets easier and easier due to the lack of unending accumulation. I call it The Purge, and my husband is now very familiar with it. 🙂 And there is so much more relaxation and so much less time cleaning/tidying the rest of the year after the purging in January. Instead of throwing items out, you could have a yard sale, utilize Facebook Marketplace, sell in consign shops, donate, or bring to Children’s Homes/Women Shelters/Homeless Shelters to cut down on waste and help the community.
A few extra tips 😉 …..organize by color goes along way (closets, binders), leave space between objects (versus everything shoved together), only a few items to each shelf- even showcasing one item/shelf (if you have the space).
I hope you found this post useful! I would love to hear tips you may have or what tips you found the most useful! Feel free to comment below or email me 🙂